Graham Thorpe

Champions League a priceless experience

Mon Oct 12 07:33AM

The inaugural Champions League in India is an intriguing competition for the public to follow and it has everyone in the game very excited for the opportunities it will create.

I would definitely see the tournament as very close to international level and it represents a perfect platform for less-established county players to make a name for themselves.

Each side has a good number of world-class performers and there is enough experience in every team to compete in the competition.

The stakes are very high and there is a huge amount of pressure on every player because of the format and the money and prestige involved.

The experience some of the younger players will be gaining out in India is priceless and it cannot be replicated in domestic cricket.

The crowds have been superb and the attention on the tournament is only set to grow as it goes on. There is sure to be a very tense and exciting finale in the latter stages.

The feeling of sheer pressure is something which you cannot coach into young players and for many of the guys this will be a unique experience which can only be beneficial.

For the two English sides, Somerset and Sussex, the tournament not only represents a chance to build their profile and standing within the game worldwide, but is a nurturing ground for their less-established players.

We have already seen that the pitches out in India are very good, but Sussex will have to bat much better than they did against New South Wales if they are to go any further.

For me, New South Wales have to be right up there among the favourites with the wealth of international stars they have in their side. It was no disgrace for Sussex to come up short against such a high calibre of opposition.

Somerset are blessed with a few very experienced players and to have Marcus Trescothick and Justin Langer at the top of the order makes them a very dangerous outfit.

The West Country side showed that a terrific team spirit can take you a very long way and that was enough to see them home against IPL champions the Deccan Chargers. Their roles are defined and they back each other to perform - and that is very important.

Everyone has been talking about the possible advantage the IPL sides have, but I do not agree: they barely ever play together as franchise teams and that is a pretty significant disadvantage if anything.

Players of my generation would have loved to have been given this kind of opportunity to pit ourselves against world-class performers; it is great for the game that we have this kind of tournament in place.

To be exposed to high-level, high-intensity cricket is an experience which cannot be bought or developed and to have that outside of playing international cricket is superb.

You learn a lot about a cricketer by how their game holds together under intense pressure and international coaches will be avidly following every game to scrutinise the players' characters.

The enthusiasm of the Indian public provides a tremendous stage for the players to perform on and I know for me, playing on the Subcontinent was a truly incredible experience.

 

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